Sr Tools Engineer position (shortage of programmers)

[Darrin Chandler]

On Tue, Jul 03, 2007 at 03:18:34PM -0700, keith smith wrote:
> This is not totally inline with this post however I have to ask.  
> 
> Does it seem there maybe a shortage of programmers.  In conversations with several prospective client this last two weeks I got the distinct impression either everyone is raising their rates or there is a shortage.  Raising rates would also be and indicator as well.   
> 
> Also, several of the freelancers I know are stating they are overwhelmed with work and requests for work.
> 
> Could it be?  finally? 

Not quite. As a professional developer with 20+ years experience, I feel
fairly confident in saying that. Job offers often ask X many yrs
experience in one area, and Y many years experience in that area, and Z
many years experience in another. There are probably 5 people in the
world who fit that, one of whom just left the company. The part they are
leaving out is that you have to be named Bob Wright, because that's the
name of the guy who's shoes they're trying to fill. In addition, most
employers absolutely *hate* the process of hiring people. All the
unqualified applicants, then the interviews, and despite everything they
end up hiring someone who can't perform as well as they'd hoped or
needed. There are other reasons, too, why employers have a hard time
finding good employees.

Some companies throw their hands in the air and outsource their whole IT
department, including significant development functions. Some domestic,
some foreign.

But make no mistake, it's all about a lack of finding matches between
employers and employees rather than the lack of either. Employers suck
at hiring the best employees, and most developers (myself included) suck
at finding the best employers.

So that's my $0.02. ;-)

-- 
Darrin Chandler            |  Phoenix BSD User Group  |  MetaBUG
dwchandler at stilyagin.com   |  http://phxbug.org/      |  http://metabug.org/
http://www.stilyagin.com/  |  Daemons in the Desert   |  Global BUG Federation